And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh …: This is the first time that Joshua and Caleb are mentioned together. Instead of Moses and Aaron, they as eyewitnesses among the spies stepped forward to call upon the people not to complain and rebel. For Joshua the son of Nun, see 11.28 and 13.8; for Caleb the son of Jephunneh, see 13.6.

Who were among those who had spied out the land: See 13.2.

Rent their clothes: In ancient Israelite culture people tore their clothes as a sign of mourning, anger, alarm, shock, or frustration. Some languages may need to add why Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes. They did it because they were shocked and dismayed at how the people rebelled against the LORD. Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version add “in sorrow” to indicate why they did it, and Bible en français courant adds that they were “deeply upset.”

Quoted with permission from de Regt, Lénart J. and Wendland, Ernst R. A Handbook on Numbers. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2016. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .